Hey guys, welcome to today’s blog about trying to convince people to buy into Nadia Lim’s amazing food solutions and that eating better food is always the right way to go.

A couple of years ago, a lady named Nadia Lim won New Zealand’s Master Chef series. I don’t myself watch cooking shows but to be honest, a good idea is always commendable and you know it’s true. Nadia came up with this crazy idea to co-found a business that solves the “What’s for dinner tonight” question. The business was named My Food Bag and provides different bags depending on how much food you could eat. Within this online start-up business provides every ingredient including meats/fish, vegetables, seasonings/herbs, dairy products, poultry and groceries. Basically everything you actually need from the supermarket but in only the quantity of supply in which you need. A really good idea.

The Master chef business wizard didn’t just stop there but created another cheaper version of the original start-up called Bargain Box. This is a cheaper version of My Food Bag which aims at feeding families or flagging situations who don’t necessarily have the finance to afford larger dishes with premium meat cuts, high-quality spices etc. Again there are different quantity boxes available for purchase online.

My awesome flatmates and I for the past few weeks have used this service. That by splitting the costs of a six-person box between five people at a cost of $38 per week, which includes a box of produce supplies, is an incredibly cheaper deal. Within our box we get five dinners which are made to fill six people, split between five because let’s face it, one serving is never enough. Beyond these meals is also a box full of fruits like feijoas, apples, bananas, and oranges. Basically, you’re getting the essentials, minus the ten items.you didn’t need when you went to the supermarket.

It makes life easier for those who are shit at cooking, like myself. There are recipes to follow which granted take a lot longer to prepare than is suggested. But there is the opportunity to add stuff, learn how to use different foods, and it in a weird way makes you appreciate good food and how to use it properly. Admittedly when I first started cooking I was terrified that my food would be below standard, and there was an occasion where a chicken wasn’t cooked properly under my supervision. Shit happens, learn not to eat it. It’s better than having to spend hours hunting and gathering not knowing if you’ll eat tomorrow.

I’ve genuinely appreciated the learning experience of cooking good food. Having this opportunity as well actually enhances cooking because there are little speculation and a lot of exploration. You can get really creative and add spices leftover from the night before to your chicken. You can add cheese to.an already amazing meatball dish, or add lemon juice to broccoli. (Thanks, George) All because there is wealth in appreciating good food and it boils down to the fact that everyone needs to eat reasonable food to at least function properly, and not eat McDonald’s, Tommy Millions’ Pizza, Burgerfuel, even Restaurant food all the time. Because it’s both a more expensive and less sustainable solution to a question that you’re over complicating.

Exercise is a great alternative but if you’re aiming your sights on leading a healthy lifestyle, you’re wasting your time going to the gym and eating shit food because at the end of the day you are what you eat. Especially considering that we are coming into Winter soon where you’ll need to eat more.to stay warm but you’ll also need to consider that you’ll get sick more, likely be able to work less and have less money to acquire expensive food, so looking for a low budget solution that gives you all of the food you actually need, minus other essential perishables such as milk, bread, cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, medication and dairy products. You’d be better to save your money on the grocery shop in the long run, particularly if you have fitness in mind.

This chat is in part reflection of my really exciting journey to push bike the length of the North Island, New Zealand in July. It’s all about eating the right foods and getting a lot of variety. Not necessarily eating only “healthily” but more about getting plenty of everything to build a better immune system and getting plenty of good fuels. So opportunities to have better food at a budgeted costs seems like a no-brainer solution for eating the right food.

Eating the right food during my bike ride is actually less important than the food that I’ve accustomed to in the months leading up to it. That’s It’s the food I consume months before which will ultimately define the level of fitness that I’m capable of reaching in the future. Ultimately the foods used to fuel the ride will only be the very surface of the whole plan. But thanks only a personal goal.

It’s such a clever idea! It can be used regardless of what most financial situation a household is in because it is affordable. But even for more stable households, like family homes. The idea is cool because it gives a lot of variety of flavours. It mixes the kitchen up a lot because not everyone eats five international.dishes per week every week because it’s expensive and usually bought in bulk. So for my family, I’m trying to encourage them to buy a weeks worth of My Food Bag so that they may learn to see that there’s more than roasts and stir fries that are actually tasty dishes at the end of a long week of work.

End.

Continuing to plan out my bike ride. Am plotting it out into four very general stages:

Everyone has to eat. Some people don’t eat enough and others eat a little too much. Some people eat the right food, whilst others couldn’t care less. Some people love utensils, Tupperware, fine china and all of the snobbery. While others wouldn’t mind a Benedict Bagel burger at 4 am on a Sunday morning after a hard night out sitting down in the MacDonalds drive through. A clear message resonates, people have acquired tastes and preferences, but is there any sweet spot or common message that everyone can agree makes a good meal?

For a second, imagine this process of visiting a restaurant. Stood outside in a mediocre mood on a Thursday evening after work. It’s overcast and you could do with something good to eat. Walking along a busy street, you notice a small diner that has an open sign out front. Heading across to it you notice the inside isn’t hugely busy. You stop to check the outside menu for a glance into the price point of the establishment. As you walk in, you notice that the floor is a strong Rimu finish. The lamp shades blot out the direct light and the place smells of your favorite kind of food. The staff treat you well and greet you on arrival, but you notice as you are being escorted to your table that rain has started outside. The waiter extends his greeting by asking you if you would be staying for dinner, you reply yes based on observation of the change in weather. Since being sat you recognize the various groups of other families and people at other stages in their night. Some are on first dates with a glass of red, others bubbling in banter bathing in the crackles from a stone grilled Porterhouse. But none of them have taken much notice that you came in alone.

As you are presented with the menu, you notice that the meals are cheaper than you were anticipating. The waiter pours you a glass of water and asks how your day has been. Mid-conversation the waiter talks about your favorite sport and you light up because you know who won that game, that Federer is in top form, that Trump’s an idiot. You laugh and enjoy yourself, all the meanwhile the rain is thickening to blanketing hail…

Your order has been taken and you are waiting for your entree. As you head for the social cover of your phone, a person sitting along the same wall as you yells out your name. You light up as they are an old school friend you haven’t seen in many years. Asking how their parents are, they are delighted to chat with you. The banter train boards and you’re absolutely loving the time you’re having. Before you know it your first meal arrives, your friend and their partner are now sitting at the same table as you. Their meals just arrived too. You continue to chat and talk about people you mutually disliked in school. As you take the first bite of your food, you notice it’s really tasty.

Some time has passed and your main meal arrives. The storm is making a racket outside but is quelled by the laughter and socializing coming from inside this diner. A lady walks down the street drenched in her coat, visibly disgruntled with a blue scarf but you took no notice. Once again you take the first bite of a different meal and the conversation has turned to your old friend’s engagement to their partner. You talk about the duties of a serious relationship and the banter takes a twist because the waiter has joined in. While asking about the quality of the food your smile speaks words. The waiter, pointing at your friend, nervously says their name. To which your friend replies the waiter’s name. You begin to recognize the waiter as another mutual friend you both share. Memories fly as the taste buds are swayed by the main meal you’ve ordered. The waiter starts to reconnect and it’s been five minutes, his boss has noticed. He ducks down to hide from view and shows you a nicer way of eating your meal by adding some of the sauce on your table. Before you ate it you were skeptical, but afterward, you realize how good it is. After grabbing your number, the waiter continues his job.

As you pay for your meal and shake hands with the other parties, you notice it’s dark out and the storm has passed. After you’ve left, walked home along the waterfront and are just about to reach your bed, you receive a text message from your friend saying it was really cool to catch up. Immediately you remember the food you ate and the bizarreness of your evening… In a good way…

Looking into it, do you remember the lady with the blue scarf? She wore a trench coat and was being battered by the rain. While you were captured in that moment, right there when it all went down. You remember everything, from the Rimu floor, the weather outside, how much the meal cost but more importantly you remembered the food. Remembered it being good. Not often do you let other people touch your food, but you didn’t put up a fuss because you were, in that moment, enjoying life.

Food is a memory and we possess unlimited storage.

Too often people forget that food is perishable and only goes in one direction. We live in a modern world where we seldom appreciate the different flavors of food. An expectation often exists where we focus more on how much was on the plate, what it tasted like, how long the food took and how much meal was.

We neglect the conversation, by eluding to our devices or focusing on the weather.

This is applicable outside of the restaurant too. Think of a meal you prepared at home, your own cooking, took longer than you expected. Surrounded by family at the dinner table and it only takes one person to comment that something wasn’t cooked perfectly. Your response is sudden and you forget about what happened in your dad’s day or your aunt’s dog’s name and would likely feel more comfortable scrolling on Facebook.

More importantly, what makes food good are the genuine interactions you have with other people who care about you and want you to feel just as good as they are. Something I need to learn myself, thus my Friday afternoon thought for you guys!